


Inquiry

by Titch360



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-29
Updated: 2017-07-29
Packaged: 2018-12-08 09:16:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11643507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Titch360/pseuds/Titch360
Summary: It's time to pay the piper.Warning, this is a direct sequel to Invasion.  Do not read if you haven't read Invasion in its entirety, as it draws completely from that story.





	Inquiry

Inquiry

 

It was only a couple minutes after one in the afternoon when Bruce shoved his chair back from his desk in frustration, throwing his pen on his desk with a growl.  His first week back at work following the planetary invasion that had brought the world to a standstill was coming to an end slowly, and Bruce had thought several times that he had far and away enjoyed the month he spent as Batman, leading the battle efforts, than he had enjoyed this week back as Wayne Enterprises CEO.

It seemed that work was able to stop for the entire company during the month of forced dormancy, except for him.  His pile of work was surrounding his desk completely, and had only grown bigger, no matter how late he worked.

Gotham City had survived the war relatively unscathed, and Bruce's first act back at work was to divert all company resources to help with rebuilding efforts worldwide.  The influx of businesses and organizations needing help had led to the unintended consequence of making the company a lot of money.  Idly, Bruce figured that was the only reason he put up with the extra work.

The intercom buzzed, and Bruce ground out, "What now?"

_Wait,_ Bruce thought, _Dick said he would be coming up after his meeting.  Maybe he finished early._

Bruce pushed the intercom button, "Is Dick here yet," Bruce asked.

Jean's voice came through the small speaker, "I'm sorry, Mr. Wayne, not yet.  You have a Samantha Warren holding on line one."

Bruce thought for a second before his eyes widened.  "Uh-oh," he muttered.

Jean said, "That name sounds familiar, Mr. Wayne."

Bruce sighed, "She's a guidance counselor at Damian's school.  We've spoken before."

Jean hissed, "Oh, right.  Sorry, Mr.  Wayne."

"Not as sorry as he's going to be," Bruce said softly as he answered the call.  "Hello, Ms. Warren."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Wayne," the young woman replied.

"We'll see about that," Bruce muttered darkly.  "What's going on?  What did he do now?"

Bruce could hear the woman swallow nervously, and that told him just about everything he needed to know.  "Mr. Wayne, there was an incident on campus today."

"What kind of incident?"

"I'm afraid Damian was involved in a fight at lunch today."

"Damn it," Bruce breathed, "What is wrong with him?"

Samantha continued, "I'm afraid there are some fairly nasty injuries..."

"What," Bruce shouted, cutting the counselor off.  He growled dangerously, "I'll be right there."

Bruce stalked angrily out of his office.  His mood was obviously evident on his face, because Jean didn't even ask where he was going, or try to stop him in order to ask about his afternoon meetings.  She just picked up her phone and started canceling the remainder of his schedule for the day.

The elevator door opened as Bruce approached.  Dick took one step out of the lift car before Bruce pushed him back into the elevator with a hand on the younger man's chest.  Dick saw the angry look on Bruce's face and asked, "Was it something I did?"

"No," Bruce growled sharply, "It was something your brother did."

Dick was very relieved that this anger wasn't aimed at him, but that just brought up more questions.  "I take it we aren't talking about Timmy?"

"He's got less than a month of school left until he graduates," Bruce nearly shouted, "Can't he control himself for that long?"

The duo entered the parking garage, and Dick had to wrench the keys out of Bruce's hand.  "I think it's probably safer if I drive, Bruce.  You can tell me what happened, and I can get us to the school in one piece.  We _are_ going to the school, right?"

Bruce sighed roughly, "Yes, the school."

The car pulled out of the parking garage, and Dick asked softly, "What happened, Bruce?"

Bruce had the armrest in a death grip as he said, "His counselor called.  Damian got into a fight at lunch today.  She said, and I quote, there were some really nasty injuries."

Dick groaned, "Oh, that kid.  I thought we were past things like this.  Damn, he knows better than that."

Bruce looked over, "Is that all you have to say about it?"

"Until I hear the full story, and whatever excuse he comes up with, yes.  I will say, though, that I will back you one hundred percent when you cancel what we had planned for tomorrow night."

Bruce had to think for a second before he said, "I forgot all about tomorrow night, but you're right.  Those plans will have to change."

Dick nodded, "I'm glad we decided it should be a surprise.  Now we can cancel it with far less whining and complaining from him."

Bruce shook his head, "He knows better than to whine and complain.  Then again, I also thought he knew better than to get into fights at school."

The car fell silent until Dick pulled into the parking lot of the Warrington School.  He knew better than to get into Bruce's way at this point.  It was a proven fact that no one in the world could make Bruce this mad, except for Damian.  Bruce held his son to the same exacting standards he held himself.  When Damian fell short, as boys tend to do, Bruce really wasn't mad at Damian, he was mad at himself.  He just tended to take it out on Damian.  In those moments, Bruce saw so much of himself and his own failings in his son.  He wanted so much better for his son.  Dick knew to just follow along, and offer gentle reminders at crucial moments, before Bruce said something he would regret later.

Bruce threw the door to the school office open, startling the secretaries seated behind the counter.  The men entered the office, and Bruce was barely able to hide his growl.

"Where is he?"

"He...he's in there, Mr. Wayne," the lead secretary said, pointing at a closed door.

Bruce turned towards the door and shot it a glare that could have knocked it off its hinges, but stopped in his tracks when Dick gasped out, "That's the nurse's office."

"I'm afraid so," the secretary responded.

Bruce approached the door a little more cautiously than he originally intended.  The door opened onto a darkened office.  Bruce could see a lump, lying on a cot at the back of the room.  "Damian?"

The lump flinched, but didn't turn.  _Yeah, that's Damian.  I'd know that flinch anywhere,_ Bruce thought.

Bruce flipped on the light switch and approached the teen.  "Damian, look at me."

Only the slightest shake of the boy's head in a negative response told Bruce that he had been heard.

"Damian, I said, look at me."

"You'll be mad," Damian slurred out.

_He sounds off, and not in a 'I know I'm in trouble' way._   "I'm already mad, Damian.  Seeing your face won't make it worse."

"Yes, it will," Damian said as he slowly rolled over to face his father.

Bruce gasped and recoiled sharply at the sight of his youngest son.  Damian's left eye was swollen shut.  His right eye was purple and puffy, but a sliver of the blue orb underneath was still visible.  His nose was obviously broken, and a trail of blood streaked his cheek.  His lips were swollen and cracked, and another trail of dried blood ran down the boy's chin.

Bruce dropped to his knees next to the cot, his hands shaking as he reached for his boy.  "Oh my god.  Damian, are you alright?"

"No, Father," Damian said in a pained voice.

"Where's the nurse," Bruce shouted over his shoulder.

"She didn't come in today, Mr. Wayne," a new voice responded.  Bruce turned to see Ms. Warren standing at the door, next to Dick.  The horrified expression frozen on Dick's face wasn't helping his mood any.

Bruce shot to his feet, "Why didn't you tell me that Damian was the one who was injured?"

Samantha Warren shook her head, "You didn't give me a chance."

Bruce looked around the office, "It takes two to fight.  Where is the other end of this fight?"

Ms. Warren looked apprehensive, "In this case, it is actually four.  The principal will be along shortly to explain everything, but there are no reported injuries among the other boys."

That caught Dick's attention, "Wait.  You mean...he was attacked?"

Samantha hesitated again, "Mrs. Skinner will be here soon.  She can explain the situation."

Bruce heard a soft moan come from the boy behind him.  He turned back to his son and asked, "Did anyone check out your injuries, son?"

"No, Dad," Damian moaned.

_Dad?  Something is definitely wrong here._   "How long has he been in here?"

"An hour, Mr. Wayne," the nervous secretary answered.

Bruce's eyes widened, "He's been in here for an hour, and no one bothered to check on his condition?  You have no idea how serious his injuries are, and that doesn't seem to bother anyone?"

The ladies flinched at the businessman's tone.  "Can _you_ tell us the full extent of his injuries, Mr. Wayne," Ms. Warren asked.

_Can't tell them the truth this time, Bruce._   "No, but the point is, no one cared to find out.  That sounds awfully close to negligence to me."

Dick's eyes widened as he thought, _uh-oh, business Bruce is coming out.  I guess that's better than Batman, though._   "Bruce, we'll get him checked out," Dick said softly.  "He's in pain, but you can tell as well as I can that it doesn't look life-threatening."

Miraculously, Bruce absorbed the warning, and took a breath to calm himself down.

While Bruce was calming himself, a woman who was nearly as wide as she was tall approached the nurse's office.  "Hello, Mr. Wayne.  I'm Gloria Skinner, the principal of this school.  I'm sorry we have to meet under these circumstances."

Bruce nodded to the woman, not offering his hand.  "Mrs. Skinner.  Do we know what happened here today?"

The rotund woman looked uncomfortable, which made Bruce a slight bit happier.  "Well, Mr. Wayne, I've heard three different stories from three individuals so far.  Hopefully Damian's story will corroborate one of the accounts I've heard today."

Bruce looked at the woman incredulously, "You can't seriously be planning on questioning my son."

"I need to find out what happened, Mr. Wayne."

Bruce shook his head, "Not in his condition."

"How bad can it be?"

It took everything Bruce had not to tear the woman's head off.  He spoke in a dangerously low tone.  "Are you telling me that you haven't seen what they did to my son yet?"

The woman shook her head, several of her chins jiggling with the motion.  "I've had three other families to deal with.  I'm sorry, but they got here first."

"You started with the wrong families," Bruce growled.

The principal looked offended at Bruce's tone.  "Just because they aren't billionaire business owners doesn't mean they deserve a lower place in line."

His face beet red, Bruce glared at the woman while pointing back at Damian.  The woman took one step past Bruce, barely fitting through the door, before coming to a halt.

"Why wasn't I notified about this," the woman screeched angrily.

No one noticed how sharply Damian flinched at the shout.  Ms. Warren answered, "You talked to the guard and the janitor who broke up the fight.  They didn't tell you?"

"They didn't tell me it was this bad.  Get a camera; I need pictures of his wounds.  Mr. Wayne, let me express my sincerest apologies on behalf of the school.  With the lack of any sort of marks on the other boys, I assumed Damian was equally unmarked.  I wondered why the janitor brought him here, instead of my office."

"What are you going to do about this, Principal Skinner," Bruce asked.

"Once I get Damian's statement, the original punishments I had planned will have to be amended."

Bruce was still livid as the secretary took pictures of the cringing, injured boy.  "You'll get your statement, but not today.  Since no one bothered to check on my son's physical condition, I am taking him to our family doctor.  Her clinic is close by.  My lawyer will contact you with his statement.  Ms. Warren, has Damian turned in his final work packets yet?"

The school staff had all paled at the word 'lawyer'.  The younger woman spoke up, "Yes, Mr. Wayne.  He turned it in yesterday."

"Is there anything else he needs to do to graduate?"

"I don't believe so, Mr. Wayne.  I'll know for sure after the last of his work is graded."

Bruce nodded, finally hearing a bit of good news.  "Okay.  Understand this, my son and my family are done with this place.  Damian will not set foot in this building again; not after the way he's been treated here.  The Wayne family has attended the Warrington School since Mr. Warrington founded this place, two hundred years ago.  Never, in all that time, have any of my ancestors been treated as poorly as my son has in his time here.  We are through with this place.  You can mail us Damian's diploma."

Bruce turned his back on the ladies, his attention fully focused on his son.  "Son?  Can you walk, or do you want me to carry you?"

Damian flinched sharply as Bruce addressed him, and grunted loudly in pain as he tried to sit up.  Bruce reached over to help him, but stopped when Damian started trembling.  The boy's eyes weren't open, but he was facing in the direction of Bruce's hand, like he expected to be hit again.  He was breathing heavily, and one hand sat protectively over his stomach.  "I can walk," Damian said in a pained voice.

Damian tried to stand, but the cot was too low to the ground, and he was too weak at the moment.  Bruce reached over again, causing another cringe in the boy.  "Let me help you, Damian," Bruce said softly.  Unfortunately, he recognized the boy's reaction.

A tear slipped past the swelling, "I don't think I have a choice."

Bruce sat on the edge of the cot and spoke so only Damian could hear him.  "I won't hurt you, son.  I'm not going to hit you.  You're safe now.  Dick and I will protect you.  We're going to take you to see Leslie.  She won't hurt you, either."

The pep talk seemed to calm the boy a bit, and he accepted Bruce's arm around his shoulders.  "Just tell me when you're ready, son."

Dick spoke up, clearly ready to leave, "Damian, is that your backpack?"

Damian turned his head slowly, until he saw the item in question.  "Yeah.  That's mine."

Dick nodded as he grabbed the satchel.  A minute later, Damian nodded, his head lolling against Bruce's shoulder due to lack of energy to hold his head up.  "I'm ready, Dad."

The pair slowly rose, Bruce having to support Damian far more than he thought he would.  They stood for a second, Bruce never taking his eyes off of Damian's face.  Pain was evident in the heavy grimace on the boy's face.  "Let's go," he grunted out.

Worried, Bruce nodded.  "You set the pace."

Slowly, painfully, they made their way out of the nurse's office, then the secretary's office, and finally into the parking lot.  Dick watched their progress, holding doors for the pair, and admiring the sheer force of will that kept Damian on his feet.  Damian might as well have been Bruce's third leg, with as much as Bruce needed to support him.  School officials watched their progression in silence as Bruce and Damian crossed the parking lot.

"Why don't you let me carry you, son," Bruce asked softly.

"No," Damian ground out through gritted teeth, "I won't give them the satisfaction of seeing that.  They can't break me."

Bruce gave a weary sigh as he settled the teen into the back seat of the car.  Once Damian had been folded into the car, he faced a conundrum.  He was scared and nervous, with strong flashbacks to some of his more savage beatings at his ex-mother's hands running through his mind.  On the other hand, holding on to Bruce seemed to anchor him, and he didn't want to let go of the man.

Bruce noticed that Damian's fist was still clenched in Bruce's shirt.  "Damian..."

Sounding far more child-like than he could ever remember, Damian gasped out, "Don't leave me, Dad."  He hadn't meant to show such weakness in that moment, but the prospect of being alone had scared him.  He needed the contact that was scaring him right now.

Bruce didn't need any extra prompting to climb into the car next to his still-cringing son.  Dick had already taken his place behind the wheel.  "Leslie's," the elder son asked.

"Make it a smooth ride," Bruce said, nodding at Dick.

The car pulled out of the school parking lot, and Bruce gently asked, "What happened, Damian?"

Damian winced when he was addressed, and Bruce matched the wince when he looked down and saw his son's abused face.  "I...I had to..."

"I can't hear you, son."  With as scared as he still was, Damian had been whispering.

He spoke a little louder, fear in his voice no matter how many times he told himself that Bruce wasn't going to hit him.  "I had to go to a regular classroom today.  Ms. Warren was in meetings all morning, and they wouldn't let me just sit in her office alone.  I turned in the last of my packets yesterday, so I really had nothing left to do for school.  The class was taking a test today, while I just sat there and read a book.  It was...noticed...that I wasn't taking the test, and I overheard some guy ask the teacher why.  She said 'Mr. Wayne doesn't have to take the test'.  She didn't explain anything more than that."

Bruce and Dick winced, knowing that any privilege that was associated with the Wayne name had a tendency to be taken badly by others.  Dick had remembered several times in his schooldays where he had passed on opportunities he had earned, just because he didn't want people to think Bruce had paid for the advantages.

Damian leaned against Bruce's side as he continued, "Three of them cornered me in the restroom after class.  I could have gotten out, but I didn't want to fight.  You told me not to fight, both of you did.  I thought I could talk my way out of the restroom, right up until they started kicking me."

Bruce winced again.  "They were kicking you?"

Bruce could feel the slight nod of the head on his shoulder, followed by the hitching of his son's breath as he tried not to cry.  "They knocked me down and were kicking me while I was on the ground."

"Why didn't you stop them," Bruce asked desperately.

"You told me not to fight," Damian said in a small voice, "There are better ways."

Bruce closed his eyes, "Damian, tell me that you didn't just take a beating to try to protect your mask."

"No," Damian said softly, "It was much worse than that."

"Oh, you need to explain that one, Damian," Dick said from the front seat.

"How much worse can it get," Bruce asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

Damian closed his eyes, "One of them took charge and told the other two to pick me up and hold me.  I had decided that I was going to take the first option I saw to get out of there, and was planning my escape when he hit me.  I don't know how it happened, but after he punched me, my plan changed.  I wasn't planning on just incapacitating them and escaping anymore; I was going to kill them.  He hit me again, and I plotted their deaths.  All three of them would have been dead in less than a minute.  He hit me again, and it made me realize what I was planning.  I didn't care that I would probably be going to jail, and would most likely never see any of you again.  None of it mattered, and it scared me.

"What scared me more than that, though, was how easily my thoughts went to murder.  I don't want to be that person anymore, Father.  I thought I was done with that, and it was buried.  It wasn't buried deep enough, though.  I...I just let them go after that.  It was better that they beat me than I kill them."

The car was silent as Dick pulled into the parking lot of Leslie's clinic.  Bruce hesitated before opening the door.  "Damian, the choice you made today...it was a hard choice to make.  It's probably not the choice I would have made, but...I'm proud of you for making the choice you did."

Bruce winced at the awkwardness of his statement, which was supposed to convey support.  He shook his head as he got out of the car.

Damian moved to follow him, groaning in pain as he moved.  He muttered a curse before saying, "Father, help."

Bruce rushed back to the car, and Damian nearly flung himself backwards in fear.  "STOP!"

Bruce realized just how badly his son was flashing back to previous beatings, and froze in place.  "I'm sorry, son," Bruce said softly.

Damian took several breaths before saying, "Sorry, Father.  It's just...everything.  I need help, I just really don't want anyone touching me right now.  I don't feel the need to be as prideful here as I was at school, though." Damian fell silent for a second, his face staring at his lap, "Could you..."

Bruce didn't let Damian finish his request.  Instead, he bent down and gently lifted his son from the car.  He tried not to take it personally when Damian gasped and cringed as he exited the car in Bruce's arms.

Bruce did his best not to jostle the clearly hurting boy, "Comfortable?"

"Not really, no," Damian said softly.

Bruce gave a small nod, "You're going to have to get over this whole aversion to touch.  You need to do it basically now, too.  Leslie is going to need to touch you to see how badly you are injured."

He could feel the slight tremor in Damian's shoulders as the boy whispered, "I'll try, Father."

Leslie was leaning over her receptionist's desk when Dick held the door open for Bruce and Damian.  She looked up and couldn't stop herself from saying, "What the hell, Bruce?  What's this all about?"

Bruce spoke hurriedly, "A little extra-curricular activity.  Can you take a look?"

Leslie reached out and turned Damian's head, to look at both sides of his face.  Damian whimpered as he tried not to flinch away from her touch.  He didn't quite succeed in stopping himself, which caught Dr. Thompkins' attention.  "You're lucky I had a cancellation this afternoon.  I guess I'll just have to skip lunch today."

Leslie turned to her assistant, "I'll see them in room three.  Pull the chart for Damian Wayne for me, please, and have Judith warm up the x-ray machine.  When my two-thirty gets here, put her in room one.  I'll see her as soon as possible.  You three, follow me."

Leslie closed the door to the exam room behind her and leaned against the door as Bruce gently placed Damian on the exam table.  She spoke quietly, but was the loudest thing in the room, "I swear, Bruce, if he's had untended injuries to this extent since last night, I will blow the whistle on you this time.  What was he even doing out, patrolling on a school night?  I thought you didn't allow that?"

Bruce turned, shocked at her speech.  "Leslie, it's not what you think..."

"It better not be, Bruce," the doctor interrupted.

Damian slowly lifted a hand to head off the physician's comments.  "I got into a fight at school," Damian said softly, "Father didn't do this, or have any part in it."

It took Leslie several seconds before she believed what she heard.  When she did, she snapped into action.  "Well, that's different.  Let's take a look.  What hurts, honey?  Other than what I can see, I mean."

The doctor approached the table, and Damian started leaning away from her outstretched hand.  "Please don't touch me," Damian almost sobbed.

_What's going on here?_   Long-ingrained medical senses kicked in, and Leslie started remembering her patient's history, the part that would never make it into any medical chart.  "Honey, I have to touch you in order to help you feel better.  Would it help if I told you what I was going to do before I did it?"

Damian regarded the honest look on the woman's face for a long minute before he finally gave a short nod.  "Okay.  Be gentle, please."

"I promise, honey," the doctor said as she slowly reached out to her patient's face again.  "Tell me what hurts, Damian."

Damian was trembling, fighting against his involuntary reaction to run, as Leslie's cool fingertips softly made contact with his cheek.  He flinched away from the touch, for an entirely different reason than fear.  Hissing in pain, he said, "It might be quicker to tell you what _doesn't_ hurt."

Leslie sighed, "If this is how you look, the other boy must be in terrible shape."

Dick spoke up nervously, "Um, Leslie, in this case it's _boys_ , not boy."

"That sounds about right, knowing you, Damian," she said with a small smile, trying to cheer up her patient.

Bruce chimed in, "And, 'fight' might not be the right word for this situation.  Damian was attacked by three older boys.  I guess I should let you know that I'm going to be needing multiple copies of your notes for this visit, for myself, the school...and probably for our lawyers."

Dr. Thompkins was taking a closer look at Damian's face as she said, "Expecting a countersuit, once the other boy's injuries are treated?"

"They didn't have any injuries," Damian mumbled, "I didn't fight back."

Leslie looked at the teen critically, "Did you think you would get in trouble?"

"I didn't want to kill them, but I was seriously considering it."

Leslie took a step back and said, "Well, you broke your nose again.  Your lips should heal on their own in a couple days, though.  Just take it easy and have Alfred make you soft food for the next week or so."

Bruce asked, "Nothing you can do for them?"

Leslie smirked, "Like what, bandage them? Tape his mouth shut?"

Dick opened his mouth to comment.  Damian didn't even need to see his older brother, who was standing behind him, to issue a preemptive, "Shut up, Grayson."

Leslie continued as Dick gave a large smile, "They really aren't that bad, Bruce.  Once we get the blood cleaned off his chin, you'll barely be able to tell that they were hurt at all.  His eyes are another story.  Let Alfred work his magic with the ice packs and the swelling will go down in a few days.  The same with that knot on the back of your head.  I'm not catching any signs of a concussion here.  All the same, take it easy for a few days.  I think you've earned it.  Can you lay down and hold still while I set your nose?  Now, I know I promised, but this is going to hurt."

"Can't hurt any worse than when they broke it," Damian mumbled as he laid down on the exam table, wincing as he turned.

Dr. Thompkins apologized again before snapping his nose back in place.  Damian gave a guttural moan of pain, but to Leslie's surprise, didn't cry out.  She didn't miss the single tear that escaped his left eye, though.  Dick, on the other hand, looked rather queasy.

Damian said, in a pained voice, "Right, I was wrong."

Dr. Thompkins taped the proboscis in place before asking, "Okay, what else hurts?  Tell me where to go next, honey."

Damian looked hesitant, knowing her question meant she would have to touch him again.  Bruce spoke softly, "Son, this is about making sure you're okay.  Leslie just wants to make you better again.  You have nothing to be nervous about.  I know you trust her.  Let her do her job."

Leslie spoke up, "Damian, I know there is more to your injuries than just your face.  Your right hand hasn't left your stomach since Bruce carried you in here.  That might just be a Napoleon impersonation, but I'm pretty sure your hand is there because your stomach hurts.  I need to check you out, to make sure you don't have any serious injuries.  I know you don't like to be touched, and I know you're still self-conscious about your scars, but honey, I've seen them.  How many physicals have I given you?"

"Three," Damian replied.

"How many times have I treated your injuries?"

"...A lot more than three," Damian mumbled, trying to allow himself to go along with the examination.

Leslie smiled, "Have I ever hurt you, sweetie?"

"Well, that thing with my nose didn't feel too good."

Leslie rolled her eyes, "Have I ever _intentionally_ hurt you?"

"No, Doctor," Damian said softly.

"Then, can you let me do my job?  I know you want to go home.  The sooner I finish examining you, the sooner we can get you out of here."

Damian hesitated for another second, fighting with himself to suppress his flashbacks, and Leslie asked, "Do you want Bruce and Dick to wait outside?"

Damian started shaking again as he said quickly, "No!  Don't make them leave!"

_Wow, he's clingier than Dick used to be when he would get injured._   She held up her hands, "Okay, they can stay.  Can you take your shirt off for me?  I want to make sure you don't have any broken ribs or ruptured organs."

Damian still looked nervous as he sat up again.  Dick gently helped to remove his jacket and shirt before gently helping him lay back down on the table.  Leslie slowly approached, and made sure Damian saw her hands before she probed his sides.  In a couple spots, Damian winced and tried to flinch away from Leslie's touch.  "Does that hurt, honey?"

Damian flinched again and said, "Stop!  That tickles!"

It did Bruce's heart good to see a smile try to cross Damian's face.  A matching smile lit up Leslie's face as she said, "Good news, no broken bones.  You have plenty of bruising, and you're definitely going to be sore later, if you aren't already sore now, but nothing broken.  Let me check your stomach, Damian."

Damian still held his hand protectively over his belly button.  She tried to lift his hand away, but he slapped it back where it was as soon as she let go of his arm.

Bruce spoke gently, "Damian, please let Leslie do this.  The sooner she starts, the sooner she will be done."

Damian closed his eye again, and his hand slid slowly to rest at his side.  It escaped no one's attention that his breathing grew shallower and quicker.  Dr. Thompkins resumed her exam, her fingers pressing gently at the bruising she was seeing, following it down his stomach.

Damian gasped as fingertips slid closer to his belt, "What are you doing?"

"The bruising I'm finding is inconsistent with the levels of pain you're showing.  I think the problem is further down."

Damian definitely squirmed at her touch.  "Does that hurt?"

Damian didn't answer until Leslie was pressing just above his belt.  "Yes!  Yes, it hurts."

Leslie stepped back and sighed, "Well, the good news is that everything feels to be intact.  The bad news is that I'm leaning towards turning this into a full physical.  I know you aren't going to like this, Damian, but I need you to take your pants down."

Damian sat up quickly, wincing sharply as he did, "What?  Why?"

"I want to be just as thorough as the people who hurt you.  It's better that we check everything now, to prevent problems down the road.  So, can you do that for me?"

"Please, no," Damian pleaded softly.

"She's not going to hurt you, son," Bruce said.

"I just want to take a look, honey.  I won't touch you if I don't have to."

Damian looked close to tears, but he bit his lip to try to steady himself.  "You promise you won't touch me?"

Leslie shook her head, "I can't make that promise just yet, but I will do everything in my power not to."

Damian turned to Bruce, "Dad, please, I don't want to do this.  Not...not today.  Not here."

Bruce winced, "I know, son.  If there were any other option, I would say okay.  Your health is more important right now."

Damian sniffled heavily as Dick laid a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder.  To everyone's surprise, Damian didn't flinch at the touch.  "Fine," Damian said angrily, reaching for his belt.  "Ow!"

"Ow, what," Bruce and Leslie asked at the same time.

Damian held up his left arm, "My wrist."

Leslie nodded, looking at the arm and finding some swelling, "We'll get that x-rayed, too."

Bruce stood in front of Damian and asked, "Do you want me to help you?"

Damian nodded silently, and Bruce lowered the scared youth's pants.  He whispered to his son as he did, "Remember what you told me last summer.  It's only a big deal if you make it a big deal."

Leslie only glanced at the newly revealed area before she sighed heavily.  "Damian, I..."

"NO!" the boy shouted, knowing what she was going to say next.

"Honey, look for yourself.  I know you can spot swelling just as well as I can.  That is not a good thing right now.  I just need to make sure everything is intact."  Damian knew it had to be done, but the flashbacks were strong right now.  "It will only take me a second to make sure you're okay."

Damian reached out to Bruce and wrapped his arms around him tightly.  Bruce didn't question it when Damian buried his face in Bruce's chest.  After a minute, Bruce felt Damian's head nod against his chest.  He squeezed his boy tighter and said, "Do it quickly, Leslie."

Expecting the doctor's touch didn't stop Damian from gasping when it happened.  He was constricting Bruce's ability to breathe as he squeezed tighter.

True to her word, Leslie ended the exam as quickly as she could.  "You're going to be fine, Damian.  I would suggest an ice pack for the swelling, but I'm not sure you would use it down there.  My two-thirty should be here by now.  Let me go take care of her, then I'll be back, and we can take some x-rays."

Damian wasn't listening to the doctor.  He was sniffling into Bruce's jacket and trying to convince himself that everything that had been done was absolutely necessary for his health.

Leslie stopped at the door and said, "Damian, I'm so sorry," before leaving the room.

After helping the morose, occasionally whimpering boy get dressed again, Bruce's phone began ringing.  Bruce was about to ignore it when he recognized Alfred's ringtone.  "What's going on, Alfred?"

The butler sounded flustered, "I'm not quite sure, sir.  School officials are reporting that Master Damian is not at the school, and they seem very nervous that I'm asking about him."

Bruce's eyes widened, "Are you waiting at the school?"

"Yes, Master Bruce."

Bruce covered the microphone and answered Dick's raised eyebrow, "We forgot to call Alfred."  Dick winced as Bruce spoke to the butler, "Alfred, I'm so sorry.  I have Damian with me.  He was attacked at school today.  It's...not good."

Alfred gasped, and Bruce quickly realized what he said.  "He'll be okay, Alfred.  It...it looks worse than it actually seems to be.  We're at Leslie's now."

Alfred sighed, "I'm glad you chose to get him medical care, sir."

"The school sure didn't think to do it," Bruce growled, his anger over that situation starting to burn again.

"Would you like me to join you there, Master Bruce?"

Bruce looked down at Damian, who had resumed clinging to his chest after getting dressed.  "I'll leave that up to you, Alfred.  Dick is with us here, too."

Bruce could almost hear Alfred nodding as a car engine growled to life in the background of the call.  "Very well, sir.  In that case, I shall see you at home."

Damian didn't lift his head from Bruce's chest, but he said softly, "Pennyworth?"

Bruce spoke quickly, "Hold on, Alfred."  Looking down, he stroked Damian's head and asked, "What is it, Damian?"

"Is he coming," Damian asked, just above a whisper.

Bruce gave a hint of a smile, "Would you like him to come?"

Damian was quiet for a second before he nodded his head against Bruce's chest.  "It's on his way home.  It wouldn't inconvenience him, would it?"

Bruce lifted the phone back to his ear.  Alfred had heard the previous exchange and said, "I will stop on my way.  Inform the young Master that it won't inconvenience me in the least.  I shall see you in a few minutes."

Bruce hung up the call and said, "He's on his way.  Are you going to be okay, son?  You've never reacted to an examination like this before.  What's going on?  What aren't you telling us?"

Damian shook his head, "I don't know, Dad.  I just...panicked.  I know she wasn't trying to hurt me.  I know that there wasn't anything she did today that she hasn't had to do to me before.  I just overreacted."

"That is to be expected, after what you went through today," Dick said.  "Just let us know what we can do to help you."

Damian finally released Bruce.  Bruce wasn't too happy about it, especially since it meant he had to look at Damian's abused face again.  Damian turned with a wince to Dick and held out his arms to his brother.  Dick wasted no time in hugging Damian, being careful not to squeeze too hard, to not aggravate any injuries.  "This helps," the teen whispered.

Shortly after, there was a knock on the door of the exam room.  Damian's head popped up from Dick's shoulder, and he said, "That was quick.  Was Pennyworth calling from the parking lot?"

Bruce smiled and said, "That's probably Leslie."

The door opened to reveal the family doctor, who was a little shocked that Damian was standing.  She hoped that Damian hadn't been able to talk Bruce into taking him home before the exam was done.  "Damian, honey, I..."

Damian took a step closer to the doctor as he interrupted her, "Dr. Thompkins, wait.  I'm sorry for earlier.  I overreacted, and took my issues out on you.  You didn't deserve that.  You didn't do anything wrong.  I'm sorry."

Leslie was shocked at the apology, as apparently were Bruce and Dick.  Leslie cleared her throat, knowing Damian well enough to know that an apology from him should be the final word on the topic.  "Let's go get those x-rays."

Damian limped forward, and only stopped when Leslie asked, "Do you want Bruce or Dick to come with?"

Damian looked back at his still-shocked elders.  "If they want.  Someone should probably wait for Pennyworth, though."

Bruce gave a smile and waved Damian on.  "Go on, son.  I think you'll be fine now.  We'll wait here."

After a longer time than Bruce was predicting, Leslie and Damian returned to the exam room.  Leslie was talking as they entered the room.  "Go ahead and hop up on the table, and we can get you wrapped up and ready to go.  I wish there was more I could do for your swelling, but that's just going to take time to heal.  Hi, Alfred."

Damian looked over at the butler as he entered the room.  His path to the exam table diverted over to give Alfred a relatively tight hug.  Alfred winced silently at Bruce as he saw the facial swelling for the first time.  Bruce sighed silently and shrugged slightly.

"That looks terrible, dear boy, but I'm glad to see you up and around."

Damian whispered, "Hi, Alfred.  Thanks for coming."  Damian seemed to lean into the hand that was placed on the back of his head lovingly.  It hadn't been lost on any resident of Wayne Manor that, since the end of the war, Damian had been gravitating to Alfred.  It could have just been that Alfred represented a solid presence in a changing world, but most everyone was choosing to believe that it was Damian's way of growing beyond himself.  No one was going to mention that they had noticed his pattern, nor ask Damian about it.  It was refreshing to see Damian with a smile more often than not, and questioning him was a sure way to make it stop.

Damian finally made it to the exam table, and Bruce spoke to Leslie.  "That took an awfully long time for a couple x-rays.  Any problems?"

Leslie gave a big smile.  "Nope.  Mr. Curiosity there is following in the family tradition.  He wanted to see how the x-rays were developed."

The adults smiled as Leslie put the films on the light box.  "I have good news and bad news.  The good news is that his wrist is okay.  No breaks, just a sprain.  I'll wrap it in a minute and give you a splint.  I want you to wear it for the next week or so, and keep pressure off that arm as much as possible."

Damian nodded and looked up with wide eyes; at least, as wide as they could get, with one swollen shut and one nearly there.  "...And the bad news?"

Leslie sighed and said, "All that swelling is hiding a small fracture of your zygomatic bone."  Leslie pointed at the x-ray, then gently fingered the boy's left cheek, just under his eye, "Right about here.  It's more of a crack than a fracture.  Now, it isn't all that serious, but it can be.  If you take it easy for the next few weeks, you'll heal just fine.  If it gets any worse, we might be looking at surgery.  I don't want to have to do that.  I like looking at the outside of you much better than the inside.  I know you don't want any more surgeries, so I have to put my foot down.  No patrolling whatsoever, young man.  Give Robin a nice, long vacation.  You have too many scars as it is, I don't want to add any to your face.  Your girlfriend would never forgive me."

Damian looked up strangely, "I wasn't aware that you knew I had a girlfriend."

Leslie smirked, "I'm friends with Alfred on Facebook.  You two make a good couple in the pictures he posted."

Damian blushed and mumbled a thank you before turning to Alfred.  Leslie was wrapping the boy's arm as he asked, "Which pictures did you post, Alfred?"

"Last year's Fourth of July party, and the school fundraiser this year," the butler said with a smile.

Leslie smiled and said, "You two look good together, but you should get out of the formal wear and relax a bit."

"No," Bruce snapped at the growing smile on Damian's face.

"But it's doctor's orders, Dad," Damian protested amusedly.

Bruce looked over at Leslie and said, "Thanks a lot, Leslie.  You had to propose taking off clothes to a hormonal teenager?"

Dr. Thompkins finished wrapping Damian's arm with a smile, "Damian, you know that isn't what I meant."

Dick was laughing as he said, "He will love you forever if you make it exactly what you meant."

"You're not helping, Dick," Bruce said.

"I think he's doing just fine," Damian said.

Leslie stepped back and said, "Okay, you're all set.  Remember what I said.  Take it easy for a while.  These are the real doctor's orders.  Bruce, I'll type up my notes and findings and email them to you.  Alfred, standard precautions and whatever home remedies you feel are appropriate.  Damian, I swear to god, I will shred your costumes myself if I get even a hint that you're going out before you've healed."

Damian shuffled over and hugged Leslie with his good arm, "Thank you, Dr. Thompkins."

Leslie returned the hug gently, "I would say don't get hurt again, but I know that isn't possible.  Even if you weren't who you are, you're still a growing boy, and these things happen."

Bruce smiled at the woman, "Leslie, come over for dinner tonight.  We made you miss your lunch, it's the least we can do."

Leslie smiled at the man, "That might be the best offer I've had all day.  That won't inconvenience you, will it, Alfred?"

"Of course not, Doctor," Alfred said with a slight bow.

Leslie nodded, "Then, it's settled.  Make a follow-up appointment for next week on your way out, but other than that, I'll see you tonight."

The follow-up appointment was set, and the Wayne men left the clinic.  Bruce and Dick were shocked when Bruce opened the back seat door for Damian, and turned to find that the boy wasn't following them.  Instead, he was on the other side of the parking lot, following Alfred.  Alfred was just as surprised when he turned and found the teen in his shadow.

"Damian," Bruce called out questioningly.

Damian shrugged as Alfred opened the back door to his car.  "Sorry, Father," Damian called back, "Force of habit."  Damian climbed into the butler's car, and Bruce could have sworn that Alfred held a smug smile on his face as he got in and drove away.

Dick leaned over and asked, "Not that I don't love how attached to Alfred Damian has become, but are you sure we brought the right kid home from the war?"

Bruce smiled as he got into the car, "I hardly recognize him anymore, and I can't tell you how proud that makes me."

_Much Later That Night..._

When she arrived for dinner, Dr. Thompkins was overjoyed to find Damian taking an ice bath.  While he was a bit embarrassed when Alfred showed the woman into his bathroom, Damian just said, "The swelling has gone down a bit."

"Good," Leslie said as Alfred brought over a towel, "Then, I'll see you downstairs.  Keep listening to Alfred and you should be better in no time."

Following dinner, Damian had returned to his room, holding an ice pack to his swollen eye.  He wasn't in a mood to do much more than sit on his bed.  His body was tired, but his mind was wide awake.  He pondered the day's events, over and over, growing more and more depressed each time the recollection replayed in his mind.

So it was, three hours later, when the door to his room opened, Damian was no longer sitting on his bed.  He was in, what Dick called, his brooding spot.  Damian sat against the back wall of his closet, in the dark.  The only thing that kept him from complete and total depression was Titus, who had joined Damian in the closet an hour and a half ago, and currently had his head resting in Damian's lap.

Damian sighed as Tim walked into the closet and sat down next to his little brother.  Damian looked over, then back down at the dog.  It took Tim a second to realize that Damian wasn't talking to him when he said, "Some protector _you_ are.  You growled at Father, you growled at Pennyworth, but you hardly even acknowledge when Drake sits next to us?"

Tim smiled as he saw Damian scratch behind the dog's ears.  "Why are you depressed, Little D?  You only come back here with the complex issues."

"You know," Damian said idly, still looking at the dog, "I think you are the only one who still calls me Little D."

"Do you want me to stop," Tim asked with a smile.

Damian thought for a second before saying, "No.  Out of all the names I've been called in my life, I actually like that one.  It's a comparison to Grayson; who wouldn't like that?"

Tim sighed, "Yeah.  So, the question stands.  What's going on, other than the obvious?"

Damian looked away, "I'm surprised you aren't out patrolling with everyone else."

Tim shook his head, "Bruce and Dick needed to work off some aggression tonight.  I didn't want to be the one to have to rein them in, and I needed to be somewhere else tonight.  Are you going to stop avoiding my question now?  I'm going to just keep asking it until I get an answer."

Damian sighed heavily, "What happened today, Tim?"

Tim sounded concerned, "Are you having issues with short-term memory?  If you are, I need to get Alfred up here to check you for a concussion again."

Damian shook his head, "No.  I may wish I could forget what happened today, but it's all too clear in my mind.  I don't mean 'what happened to me', I mean 'what happened _with_ me'?"

"I don't get it."

Damian finally looked at Tim.  "I froze today, Tim.  That has never happened to me before."

"I beg to differ," Tim said quietly.

"I didn't freeze the night we patrolled together, and you got shot.  At least, not like this.  I was scared, Tim.  I don't _get_ scared.  Fear is for the weak."

Tim gave a kindly smile, "And that's the rub, isn't it.  You've spent your whole life in situations where fear can get you killed, or being told that fear is something to be eliminated from your life, or you won't find the acceptance you crave.  Just know that we accept you, just how you are, and you had every right to be scared today."

Damian scoffed, "I shouldn't have been scared, though.  Even three on one, there was no real threat from those bullies.  At least, there shouldn't have been.  I could have taken all three of them easily."

Tim sighed as he thought, _how do I phrase this so he understands._   "Robin could have taken them easily.  Assassin Damian could have taken them easily.  Unfortunately, school Damian was taking the lead.  Damian, there are times when I think that you have multiple personalities.  They are really just different facets of you, but you are able to change so completely that it could be different people in your head.  Bruce does it, too, but I think you are even better at it than he is.  I have seen you change so effortlessly between facets that, at times, it is like turning a light switch.  It's not a perfect system, though.  Today, you couldn't make the switch in time.  That doesn't mean there is anything wrong with you."

Damian was quiet for a minute, thinking.  He spoke softly when he finally spoke.  "You're wrong, Tim.  I made the switch, as you call it, but it didn't do me any good.  I thought there was no way they would attack me, right up until they knocked me down and started kicking me.  I couldn't control my change, though.  Not at first.  I...I wanted to kill them."

Tim slipped an arm around Damian's shoulders, "Yes, you wanted to kill them, but you didn't.  You showed that you were in charge of yourself."

Damian snorted as he laid his head on Tim's shoulder.  "Some good that did me."

Tim smiled, "Do you want Dick and Jason and me to go and kick the shit out of your bullies?"

Damian lifted his head, "Todd?  What does he care?  He hasn't said two words to me since he got home from work."

"You aren't the only one who is scared tonight, Damian.  Jason likes you a lot more than you realize.  He doesn't want to lose you any more than the rest of us do."

"I know that," Damian said softly.  "Why would you make that offer, especially since there is a chance I would take you up on it?"

Tim smiled brightly, hugging Damian, "We're your brothers; we're the only ones who are allowed to beat you up."

_The Next Day..._

Damian awoke the next morning, sore from head to toe.  His mood had only slightly improved since his talk with Tim, but it was enough to be out among family.  Breakfast was followed by ibuprofen and a long soak in the hot tub.  A long Skype call with Robin was spent mostly watching the girl he loved cry while trying to explain that he wasn't as bad as he looked.  That exhausting experience over, Damian laid down to take a nap.

The teen was awoken by his mattress dipping next to him.  It was after dark when Damian opened his eyes.  Looking next to him, he was surprised to see Bruce lying on the bed.

"Father," he asked softly.

Damian scooted over to lay his head on Bruce's shoulder.  Bruce spoke just as quietly.  "Damian, I owe you an apology."

"Why, Dad?"

"When I first got the call that there had been a fight at school, I was furious at you.  I didn't know that you were the one who got hurt until I saw you at the school.  I was convinced that you were the aggressor."

Damian shrugged, "That would have been more in my nature, and personal history, Father."

"Yes, but you're not that same person anymore.  You've changed, and our perception of you needs to change, too."

"I accept your apology, Dad," Damian said softly as he cuddled into Bruce's side tightly, "Even though you don't owe me one."

Damian closed his eyes, and Bruce was left to think about the boy in his arms.  _I never thought I would get to the point where I had a son who wanted to cuddle with me again.  I know Dick would still be up for it, but that would be a little weird.  Jason never cuddled.  Tim might be generally okay with the idea, but would balk at the execution.  I'm still surprised that this is the same kid that Talia dropped on my doorstep.  It still makes me question what I'm planning for him next.  Leslie will kill me, and who knows how he'll react.  And...I don't want my boy growing up too fast, even though he is almost grown._

Bruce looked over to see that Damian had fallen asleep, with his head on Bruce's chest.  A soft smile crossed the man's face, and he was loathe to wake the boy.  But, if they were to make their appointment, Bruce had to take this as a good memory, and move on.

Bruce rubbed a hand up and down Damian's back gently.  "Hey, Damian?  Wake up, we need to get ready to go."

"Go," Damian asked blearily, "I don't want to go anywhere.  I'm comfortable right here."

Bruce's smile grew at that, "We've got one thing to do tonight, then we can come back here, if you want."

Damian stretched with a light wince, "Are we going out?  I really don't want people to see my face looking like this.  It was hard enough explaining it to Robin; I don't want to tell a bunch of people what happened.  Isn't this something we want to keep away from the press?"

"I don't think that will be a problem, where we're going."

Damian looked up at Bruce and said, "Well, okay, but only as long as we can come back and pick up where we're leaving off."

Bruce felt himself melting at that request from his son, "As you wish, son."

Bruce and Damian walked slowly downstairs, father keeping pace with son easily to make sure he was steady on his feet.  Damian wasn't watching where they were going, he was just enjoying the calming feeling of Bruce's hand, placed in the center of his back.  Only when Bruce opened the grandfather clock to the cave did Damian falter.

"Father?"

Bruce looked back at his son, "Coming, Damian?"

Damian looked distinctly nervous, "Dr. Thompkins said I can't.  I...Pennyworth worked hard on my uniforms.  I don't want her to destroy them."

Bruce gave a soft smile, "It's not what you think, Damian.  You're getting dressed, but you're not patrolling.  I planned something earlier in the week.  I was going to cancel it, due to your injuries, but I think, because of them, you're ready for this.  I think you've earned this chance."

Damian still looked nervous, but followed when Bruce beckoned him down the stairs.  "Did you at least run this past Alfred?"

The aforementioned butler stood at the bottom of the stairs, "Did he run what past me, Master Damian"

Damian was surprised to see the butler in the cave, but said, "Whatever he has planned for tonight."

Alfred turned to Bruce and asked, "You're still going through with that idea, then?"

Bruce glanced at Damian before saying, "Yeah.  I think he's earned it."

Alfred nodded, "Very well, sir.  Master Damian, do not do anything more than follow your father's, and your doctor's, instructions tonight."

Damian looked confused, "My doctor's instructions seem to be completely contrary to whatever Father has planned, but I'll try."

Alfred nodded and looked at Bruce, "If you won't be needing me, sir, I have a few things to clean upstairs."

Bruce nodded in return, "Sure, Alfred.  I think I can handle things down here."

The butler returned to the manor, and Damian looked at Bruce.  "Okay, so what good will getting dressed do me?  I can't leave the cave.  With all this swelling, there's no way I can get a mask on."

Bruce looked concerned.  He hadn't thought about that, and that could put a big stopper in his plan.  "We'll worry about that when we have to.  For now, let's just get changed."

_Several Minutes Later..."_

"Father, I don't know what to do with this thing."

Bruce looked over to see Damian standing in his Robin uniform, holding his eye mask.  He couldn't tell you why if you asked, but seeing Damian in his Robin uniform made his heart happy.  Bruce was also surprised that Damian had been able to get dressed so fast.

A soft smile crossed Bruce's face as he walked over and took the mask from his boy.  They walked over to stand under a light, and Bruce said, "Well, let's see what we can do about...hey, your eye is open."

Bruce stared at the sliver of blue, just barely visible through the puffy purple.  "Yeah," Damian said, "the swelling is going down.  Not that I can see any better."

"What's wrong with your eye," Bruce asked, concern permeating his tone.

"I can't open my eye wide enough to really see out of it yet.  Everything is all blurry in that eye right now." Damian sighed, "This is a bad idea, Father.  I won't be any use to you, wherever we're going.  Why don't you take one of the others with you tonight?"

"They left already," Bruce said, holding the mask over Damian's face.  "This doesn't look so bad.  We'll just fit it over your good eye, and...not worry about the other one tonight.  For what we're doing, you really don't need it."

Damian tried to hold still as Bruce adhered the mask to his face.  "I'm not worried about putting it on, Father.  Taking it off is going to be another matter, though."

Damian flinched as Bruce lightly pressed the mask in place.  Bruce winced in sympathy, but said, "Let's go.  We're running late."

Despite his nerves and confusion regarding the upcoming night, Robin still smiled when his name and 'B-30' designator were recited by the Zeta Tube.  Batman and Robin materialized in the main room of Mount Justice.  Most of the battle damage had been cleaned up, but the communications panel hadn't been replaced yet.

Robin looked around curiously before asking, "What are we doing here, Father?"

"The League has reactivated this base of operations, until the Watchtower can be rebuilt," Batman said, "We have a meeting tonight."

Robin looked confused as he followed Batman to the elevator.  "Then, why am I here?  Don't tell me that, just because you gave me a higher security clearance, I have to start attending your meetings."

"Robin, you are the youngest person ever to have a Justice League security clearance."

"I'm not," Robin interrupted.

Batman rolled his eyes under his cowl, "Okay, technically Shazaam was ten years old, but that's different.  You're a teenager all the time.  He...isn't.  And no, you aren't being asked to attend core meetings.  Tonight is...a little different."

The Dynamic Duo stepped off of the elevator on the residence floor, and Robin noticed that his name was still on the first door on the left.  A small snicker escaped the boy's mouth.  Batman sighed and asked, "What?"

Robin pointed to the name plate, "The next time we get into an argument and you send me to my room, I might just end up here."

Batman rolled his eyes again, "You won't do that.  The Zeta code is so easily scrambled.  You might have to stay here."

Robin shrugged, "At least I'll have an assigned room."

"We've been taking care of a few things that are more important than changing out a name plate.  Namely, trying to replace the communications console unit that you allowed to be destroyed."

Robin looked down, "I didn't let that happen.  It was collateral damage.  I was just trying to accomplish my main goal.  I didn't even know it happened until later."

Batman turned to continue walking down the hall, "Well, whatever happened, don't you think it's more important to replace that than the nameplates on the doors?"

Robin shrugged, "I suppose.  Where are we going?"

"Main conference room."

Robin winced and asked, "The big one?"  Robin had a sinking feeling that this wasn't just an average update meeting.

Batman nodded, "It's a full League meeting."

Robin didn't have time to ask any more questions as they rounded a corner and walked into the conference room.  Robin stopped two steps into the space and stared at the set-up.  Three tables had been arranged in a semi-circle, with a lone chair set in the middle, surrounded by the tables.  _They couldn't have made this look more adversarial if they tried_ , Robin thought.

The full complement of Justice League council members were arrayed around the tables.  Batman was taking his seat next to Superman as the Man of Steel and Wonder Woman were slowly rising.  Both of their jaws were hanging at the sight of the abused teen's face.

Superman turned to Batman and said, "You didn't tell us he was injured!  This could have waited until he's healed."

Batman didn't look up, but said, "Could it?  You said you wanted this done as soon as possible.  I wouldn't have brought him if he couldn't handle this."

Superman looked less than comfortable with the situation as he slowly retook his seat.  "Take a seat, Robin."  Superman pushed a button on the table before him as Robin slowly sat.  "Begin recording.  I call this meeting to order.  Inquiry into the actions and motivations behind said actions of Justice League affiliate Robin during the recent Brainiac invasion will commence.  Full League council is assembled for inquiry."

Robin leaned forward in his chair and asked nervously, "Inquiry?"

Batman looked over at Superman and said, "Let it be known and put on record that Robin was not coached or prepared for this meeting in any way.  He was not notified that a meeting was taking place until arriving at Mount Justice, ten minutes ago, and was not informed of the topic of said meeting until your previous statement."

Superman was fuming at Batman's words, but looked at Robin and said, "Let the record also show that Robin is presenting before the council while injured.  Thank you for coming tonight, Robin."

Robin looked at his lap and grumbled softly, "Wasn't given much of a choice in the matter."

Superman either didn't hear or ignored the remark.  "Let me start by saying that the council is impressed with the job you did with your assignment last month.  You should know that we all have reviewed your log for a basic overview of events."

Robin looked at the Man of Steel strangely.  "If you've read my log, then you already know everything that happened.  Why do we need to have a special meeting?"

Superman looked at the youth, who was still staring at his lap, "We also reviewed your journal, Robin.  Combining the two accounts has given us a fairly complete picture of what went on.  This meeting is to corroborate the two accounts, and to discuss what happened, and why."

Robin's head snapped up to stare at Superman after his announcement.  His jaw was hanging slightly as he asked, "You read my journal?"

Superman nodded, and Robin looked slowly around the assembled group of super heroes, several of whom were now looking distinctly uncomfortable.  His gaze stopped on Nightwing, who, to his credit, didn't look away.  "You _all_ read my journal?"

Nightwing gave a short nod before Robin turned back to the center table.  He was looking mostly at Batman when he said, "You had no right to read that.  That was personal and private."

Green Arrow leaned forward from the right-hand table, "Then you shouldn't have left it on the system server."

"How did you even get access to the file?"

"You shouldn't have used the same password you use for your email," Batman said, drawing a slight gasp from Robin.

"You read my emails, too?"

"Probably not the best time to bring that up, Batman," Nightwing muttered from the left-hand table.

Batman sent a glare at Robin, "We can talk about that later.  Your daily, ongoing...rather _explicit_ messages to and from your girlfriend are immaterial to this inquiry.  Superman, proceed."

Hoping the family squabble had ended, and noting the grin that Nightwing was trying to hide from his younger brother, Superman took control of the meeting again.  "I guess the best way to do this is just to start at the top and go chronologically.  Robin, you are requested to answer all questions as thoroughly as possible."

Robin stared at Superman, "Requested?"  His gaze shifted to Batman, "or ordered?"

Batman shook his head wearily, "Answer them however you want, Robin.  Just remember that there is a telepath and an empath in the room, and you have their full attention."

"Okay, I think this is getting off on the wrong tone," Superman said, "We just want to know what happened, and why you chose to do things the way you did."

Robin sneered.  The look lost a little of it's meaning with the swollen lips, but it came across.  "Ask your questions.  Let's get this over with."

Superman heaved a quiet sigh, "Okay.  You were chosen to head operations for the Mount Justice base during Brainiac's recent invasion.  When were you notified of your assignment?"

Robin rolled his eyes under his mask, "About ten minutes before you left me in charge of your kids."

Superman's eyes widened, "We agreed on your assignment three days before that.  Batman, why wasn't he notified sooner?"

"No chance," Batman said.

Superman looked confused, so Robin clarified, "What he's trying to say is, thanks to your nightly meetings running so late, and civilian obligations, I didn't see Batman for the entire week leading up to the start of the war."

Nightwing spoke up, "We were out awfully late that week, Superman."

Superman nodded slowly, "That would explain your dissatisfaction with your assignment, at least from what you wrote in your journal.  Do you understand why your assignment was important now?"

Robin snarked, "I understand why _you_ think it was important."

"Robin," Batman growled.

Again, Robin rolled his eyes under his mask, "Yes, I understand that it was an important mission.  What I don't understand is why I was chosen for it?  You said it was a short list of candidates.  That implies that there were others.  How was I chosen?"

Superman looked at Batman, who looked at Nightwing, who looked at Flash, who looked back at Superman.  A collective shrug later, and Robin's jaw fell.  "You really _did_ choose me to keep me out of the way, didn't you?"

"To keep you safe, Robin," Nightwing responded instantly.

Superman nodded, "Robin, I meant what I told you that first night.  You were the name on the list that I felt most comfortable leaving my son with."

Robin cocked his head and asked, "Why?  I had never met your son before that night.  I had no history of child care.  Hell, I can't even be accused of ever having been a child myself.  Your decision makes no sense."

Batman took over the meeting with a growl, "Whether it made sense or not, it was done.  You were given a job to complete."

Robin sighed, knowing that was the only answer he was going to get in this meeting.  He looked at the floor between his boots and the center table, "Right.  Following orders," Robin said softly.

After a minute of silence, Flash cleared his throat.  "A very early entry in your journal stated that you felt you failed your mission after you fought with my son.  Why did you start a fight with my kid?"

No matter how hard he had tried to hide it, Robin still picked up on the underlying tone of defensiveness in Flash's voice.  "I didn't start a fight with Mercury; I ended one."

"Could you explain that, Robin," Wonder Woman asked kindly.

Robin stared at Flash as he answered, "You placed me in charge of a hidden base during a time of war.  Given that, I was thinking defensively while making preparations for everyone's safety.  That included coming up with an escape route, in case the mountain was invaded.  We had only been there one night, and his room looked like he'd been living there for a month.  I told him to keep it clean, for safety.  He took it as a personal attack, and challenged me."

Flash was frowning deeply, "So you took it upon yourself to beat up a younger, much less experienced kid?"

The question seemed perched on the lips of everyone in the room, and Robin was starting to feel like he should be a bit more defensive here.  "I gave him every chance to back down.  Impulse begged him to stop.  He wasn't going to back down, so I told him to put his costume on."

"Why," half of the room's occupants asked at once, interested in the story.

Robin looked around at the response before saying, "I wasn't going to hit a kid for acting like a kid, but I could teach a lesson to a hero in training."

"Why would his uniform matter," Batman asked calmly.

Robin eyed the Bat, wondering why he was the calm one in the room.  Robin knew Batman knew the answer to his own question, but he answered it anyway.  "Putting on his uniform meant he was serious about what he was planning."

Flash's eyes grew dark as he started to get angry.  "An orange jumpsuit changed everything for you?  That opened the floodgates for you to beat him up?"

"I never hit him.  I gave him every chance to back down.  I tried to talk him out of it, right up until he punched me."

The room fell silent, the Justice League not believing the statement.

"He hit you," Green Arrow asked.  Wonder Woman nodded along with Robin.

"What happened," Nightwing asked.

"Mercury ran around the room at super speed, hitting me when he got close.  He knocked me down after a minute or so.  I got up and gave him another chance to stop.  When he didn't, I put a stop to his attack."

"How," Superman asked.  He knew Batman was able to take down a speedster, but wanted to see how Robin accomplished the same feat.

Robin glanced at Flash before addressing Superman, "He ran at me again.  I anticipated, grabbed him, and put him on the ground, in a hold designed to get his attention."

"And that's why you thought you failed your mission," Flash asked.

Robin looked back at the floor.  "No.  I failed my mission because I left bruises.  I was there to protect them, and I didn't."

The room was quiet for half a minute as they absorbed Robin's train of thought.  Finally, Superman asked, "Did this action have the intended outcome?"

Robin gave a small smirk, "I never had to tell him to keep his room clean again."

Flash stroked his chin, "Come to think of it, he's been keeping his room clean at home, too."

A small chuckle circulated through the room.  Superman nodded and said, "I think we've covered that point.  Let's move on.  Why did you choose not to tell them about the war, then change your mind and tell them just a day or two later?"

Robin thought for a second before saying, "I didn't tell them because you didn't tell them.  At that point, the war had just started, and they came to the mountain thinking you all were just overreacting to your mission.  I didn't know what you wanted them to know, so I waited.  Once we lost the Watchtower, and then lost communications networks, it became necessary for them to know what was going on."

"How did that change your plans," Green Arrow asked.

Robin glanced over, "You mean, besides changing the assignment from a long weekend to an indefinite period?"

"Yes," the Emerald Archer replied.

Robin sighed, "I had to start thinking long term.  I started conserving food.  I made allowances for a few extra creature comforts.  I started instruction in self-defense for the kids."

Robin saw several heads glance around, and he figured he had hit upon the real reason behind the meeting.  He sighed again, looking at Superman, "The incident with Superboy was...regrettable."

Superman's tone wasn't anywhere near as angry as Robin thought it might be, "We'll get to that in a minute.  First, why teach them anything?"

Robin shrugged, "I wanted to know what they knew.  I wanted to know how they were likely to act in an invasion, and what I could expect out of them."

"To what end," Flash asked.

Robin looked down and spoke softly, "We had already lost the Watchtower.  It wasn't that much of a stretch of the imagination to assume that Brainiac could find Mount Justice."

Wonder Woman looked at Robin with compassion in her gaze.  "With the communications networks down, it took us days to find out that the Watchtower had fallen.  How did you find out about it here?  Your communications were just as bad off as ours."

Only Batman and Nightwing caught the way Robin's breath hitched.  Then again, they already knew what Robin was about to say.  Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter both felt a spike of emotion shoot off of the boy, which didn't show up on his face.  "I was talking to Red Robin when it happened," Robin said in a barely audible tone.

Superman's jaw dropped, and Robin commented on the look.  "I thought you said you read my log?  That fact was mentioned several times."

Superman nodded, "I must have forgotten that.  So, you knew before we did?"

Robin nodded.  Martian Manhunter spoke for the first time since the start of the meeting.  "You had a strong reaction to the mention of the Watchtower.  Can you explain the emotion behind that?"

Wonder Woman winced along with Robin, but the Boy Wonder answered the question.  "For a while after my conversation, I thought I had just watched my bro..." Robin stopped short, finding it hard to say what he was thinking.  "I didn't know if Red Robin...survived the attack on the Watchtower.  Communications were cut before his condition had stabilized.  I was...concerned for his welfare."

The room was tensely silent for half a minute before Superman said, "We'll take a five minute break.  Robin, don't go too far."

Robin only went as far as around the first corner he came to, before he leaned back against the wall, rubbing his forehead.  He wasn't alone long before an expected voice filled his ear.  "You were really concerned about Red, weren't you?"

Robin sighed and whispered, not opening his eyes, "I thought I watched him die, Nightwing.  He was all alone up there.  He deserved a better death than that, and I...I didn't want him to die."

Nightwing pulled Robin into a tight hug, which Robin returned gladly.  He didn't even care that Nightwing was all but crushing his bruised ribs.  "I've killed over a hundred people.  I've watched several hundred more die.  I actively tried to kill Red Robin myself for a year.  Watching what happened to him was the first time a potential death made me feel like that."

"Like what, Little Brother?"

Robin took a second before answering, crafting his answer, "Like...like, if he died, a part of me would have died with him."

"That's how you're supposed to feel, when something tragic is happening with your family."

The deeper voice was surprising, but not altogether unexpected, as Batman approached the pair.

"I hate it, Father," Robin said, turning to the man in black.

"That's why I insist on so many precautions at night.  I want you all home in one piece."

Robin nodded softly at the man and said softly, "I understand, Father."

Batman placed a hand on Robin's shoulder, "Are you ready to continue, son?"

Robin took a deep breath, "I'd rather go home, Father.  I'm not feeling too good right now."

Nightwing smirked, "You just want to go and give Red a big hug."

Robin shrugged, a small smile curving the corner of his lips, "That _would_ confuse him, wouldn't it?"

"We're almost done, Robin," Batman said, a miniscule muscle twitch of Batman's cheek betraying what could almost be considered a smile.

"Are we still going to pick up where we left off when we get home?"

"I'll leave that up to you, son.  I won't commit to anything until we know if we can get your mask off without causing extra damage to your face."

Robin nodded, "Let's get this over with."

The Bats started to walk back to the conference room when Nightwing asked, "Just out of curiosity, why did you choose to keep a log _and_ a journal during your time here?"

Robin stopped, his cheeks flaming bright red.  He tried to cover by saying, "Well, I knew Batman would want a full report of everything that happened."

"You could have covered that in the log.  Why a journal?"

Robin's cheeks burned brighter as he sighed and dropped his head, "I needed it.  This was hard for me, and I needed to be able to...process everything that was happening.  I...I've been keeping a journal for the last year and a half."

Batman and Nightwing were shocked at what they heard.  They had no idea that Robin was doing that.  Batman spoke softly, "You can talk to us, Robin.  You know we're here for you."

Robin nodded, "I know, but sometimes, I just want to figure things out on my own.  This helps me."

"How did this even start," Batman asked.

"It was my guidance counselor's idea.  She said it might help with some of my anger issues.  I guess I don't hide it as well as I thought.  She was right, though.  It has helped."

Batman nodded, "Let's go."

The vigilante trio were the last to re-enter the conference room, and Robin had the sneaking suspicion that they were the only ones who left.  Superman looked at the youth as Robin took his seat again.  "Where were we?  Oh, yeah.  We were talking about plans in the wake of losing the Watchtower.  You mentioned thinking defensively.  What was your plan?"

Robin took a deep breath, "From the first night, my plan was for the kids to run to safety, while I tried to deal with whatever threat was presented."

"Run where," Martian Manhunter asked.

"The safe room on the bottom floor."

Several League members looked around in confusion before Wonder Woman asked, "How did you know about that?  Most of the newer League members don't even know about that.  The safe room doesn't show up on our maps of the facility."

Robin shrugged, "It's on Batman's maps."

"Why did you even look at maps of Mount Justice," Superman asked, "You already told us that you didn't get your assignment until the night of, and this base was put in mothballs before you were born."

Nightwing chuckled and said, "I think the answer to your question is sitting right next to you."

Superman looked over at Batman as Robin said, "There is no such thing as too much information."

"How did the kids feel about your plan to send them to safety without you," Wonder Woman asked.

"I didn't tell them _that_ part," Robin said indignantly, "They wouldn't have gone if they knew that was going to happen."

"You didn't think that they might be able to help you," Flash asked.

Robin shook his head, "That wasn't their job.  Their job was to survive at all costs.  My job was to make sure they had a chance to do that."

"Speaking of survival," Superman said, taking control of the meeting again, "How did you structure your lessons for the kids?"

Robin thought for a minute before starting in, "I had to think about what I could actually teach them.  I don't have any powers, so I had no frame of reference to try to teach them how to use their powers.  I also had to teach them something relatively simple.  No offense to the training they might have already had, but compared to everyone in this room, they are novices."

Green Arrow snorted, "How much training can _you_ have had?"

Nightwing was ready to tackle Robin, if need be, but Robin seemed to ignore the jab and replied, "Since before I could walk."

Turning back to Superman, Robin continued, "I also had to think of something that was going to be useful to the situation.  I settled on evasion tactics."

Flash smiled broadly, "Let me get this straight.  You planned on teaching evasion to two speedsters and a half-Kryptonian?  People that can move faster than the speed of sound on a whim?"

"Two speedsters, a half-Kryptonian, and a whatever-the-hell Beast Boy is," Robin said, nodding.

"I'm more interested in the speedster part," Flash said, still smiling.

Robin turned fully to face Flash, "Your son was caught in every trap set for him.  So, I would say, yes, he had plenty to learn."

Flash's cheeks flushed to match his suit as Nightwing asked, "Did he know you were setting traps?"

Robin nodded, "Yes.  I even pointed one out to him, and he still got caught in it."

A chuckle ran through the room as Robin turned back to Superman.  "I thought I was starting simple, with escaping holds.  Your kids weren't ready for my teaching methods, though."

"What were your teaching methods," Batman asked.

Robin sighed nervously, "A modified version of the same teaching methods used to train me."

"To train _which_ you," Nightwing asked sternly.

Robin shrugged, "The methods really haven't been all that different.  I avoided the real...effective...techniques, and stuck with something I thought would work."

"What went wrong," Superman asked.

Robin looked down, "I forgot I was teaching inexperienced children."

"Why did you try to rip my son's head off," Superman asked quietly.

The room was completely silent, waiting for Robin's answer.  Half a minute passed before it came.  "He was holding back.  They had all done well for the entire lesson; there was no reason for him to be slacking then."

"But, you found out his reason," Superman said quietly.

Robin nodded, "He was scared.  I didn't recognize that until later, though."

"What was he scared of," Wonder Woman asked.

"Of me," Robin replied softly, "He was in no danger.  He overreacted to the situation."

"Why," Flash asked.

"Because I overreacted.  He almost overreacted me through the wall."

Flash snickered as Superman said softly, "Superboy knows his own strength, and has been trained to be mindful of hurting people.  You ensured he would hurt someone."

When no response came, Superman shook his head sadly.  "Let's move on to the robot attack."

Robin took a deep breath before speaking again.  Batman and Nightwing noticed that his voice was a bit weaker when the boy spoke.  "They came two days before you came to get us.  I was in the comm room with Mercury, looking at local maps to try to find a grocery store."

"Why were you looking for a store," Green Arrow asked.

Robin looked at the man strangely, thinking _I thought they all said they read my log?_   "We were almost out of food.  I'd done everything I could to extend the supply, but we just didn't have anything left."

"Why not get food from the cave," Batman asked.

"How?  You shut down the Zeta Tubes.  I wasn't going to walk to Gotham, when there is a town a mile away."

Batman nodded, "Continue."

"The mountain started shaking.  Everyone ran into the comm room, thinking it was an earthquake.  That's when the robots broke in."

"Where," Superman asked.

"Access door next to the Zeta Tube."

"How many robots," Green Arrow asked.

"Seven," Robin replied.

"Did you know what they were," Flash asked.

Robin shook his head, "I knew that they had just broken into a supposedly secret base, and they made no announcement of friend or foe."

"So you attacked," Green Arrow stated.

Robin gave a short sigh as the questions picked up in frequency, "If they were friendlies, they would have had a better way into the mountain than blasting in the door.  They didn't look like anything I'd seen in Batman's files.  I attacked and took down the one in the center of the formation.  They struck back, and that's when I told the kids to run."

Superman's jaw dropped, "Wait, you attacked _before_ making sure your charges got to safety?"

Robin's voice faltered, "I...I wanted to see if this threat was something the kids could handle.  It...it wasn't.  Once they left, I knew I had to give them as much time as possible to get to safety.  I was able to take out three more robots, before I was...overwhelmed."

"Why didn't they kill you," Superman asked.

Robin's head shot up, "Because _your_ son didn't follow orders."

Green Arrow looked at Robin strangely, "You sound like you almost wanted them to kill you."

"What made you think this was a threat you could handle on your own," Superman asked quickly, before Robin could respond to Green Arrow.

"What choice did I have at that point," Robin asked back.

"What was your plan?"

Robin sighed, "I hoped to be able to switch up my attacks enough to give me enough time to take them all down.  They adapted faster than I thought they would."

"What did they do," Superman asked.

"Two of them pinned me down while a third...scanned me, I guess.  Some sort of beam shot out of its face and swept up and down my body."

Martian Manhunter nodded, "The scanning beam.  We saw that several times during the war."

Flash spoke up, "You don't have any powers.  Did they leave you alone after they scanned you?  That's what they were doing in the field."

Robin looked away, "Not exactly.  I must have pissed them off.  The one who scanned me lifted a leg, like it was going to crush my head."

Nightwing gasped.  Superman tried, and failed, to meet Robin's eyes, as the teen was still staring at the floor.  "Is that when Superboy came in?"  Robin nodded, but didn't say anything.  "He saved your life, didn't he?"  Robin nodded again.  "And, for that, you yelled at him," Superman asked, more harshly than he intended.

Robin flinched, "He was _supposed_ to be in the shelter.  He agreed from day one to go to the shelter when I said run."

Superman continued, like he hadn't heard Robin, "Not only that, but he bandaged your wounds from the fight."

"I had to instruct him in how to do that."

Superman was staring intently at Robin, "He proved that your thought was wrong.  The kids could have handled the fight."

Robin was still staring at the floor like it was the most interesting thing in the world, "We didn't know that at the time.  I went with what I thought was the best way to accomplish my mission."

"How would your death have accomplished your mission," Green Arrow asked critically.

"It would have delayed the robots long enough for the kids to get to safety, if they listened to me."

"You didn't trust them, did you," Superman stated.

Robin shook his head, "Of course I didn't trust them.  How can you trust people you don't know?"

"You were with them for three weeks at this point.  How long do you need to be able to trust someone?"

Nightwing was about to come to Robin's defense; he knew that trust was not something that Robin bestowed easily.  It had taken the boy nearly two years to fully trust Nightwing.

Robin opened his mouth to respond, but Superman cut him off, "You didn't even try, did you?"

Robin's head shot up, "I wasn't there to make friends; I was there to keep them safe."

"How did that work out for you," Green Arrow asked pointedly.

"Stop."

Robin looked around at that one word, and was surprised to see Nightwing and Wonder Woman standing.  The woman was the one who spoke the command.  The room was tensely silent for half a minute before Batman said softly, "Robin, wait in our quarters."

Robin rose numbly and mumbled, "Yes, Father," before walking out of the conference room.

Robin was only in the room long enough to slump down on the edge of the bed and cradle his head in his hands.  Robin was wincing in pain as the heels of his hands dug into the bruising around his eyes when the door opened.

The Boy Wonder didn't look up as he said, "Was that the plan of this meeting, Nightwing?  To make sure I'm aware of just how badly I failed my mission?"

The older brother sat down next to the younger, throwing an arm around his shoulders.  "I'll admit, that didn't end exactly how I thought it would.  You did pass the test part of the evening, though."

"What test," Robin asked, laying his head on Nightwings shoulder.

"Frustration tolerance.  Those questions were designed to make you angry."

Robin grumbled, "Doesn't the Justice League have anything better to do?  Isn't there a whole world to rebuild out there?"

Nightwing nodded, "There is, but you gave us an idea."

"Somehow, I doubt I'm going to like this," Robin said drily.

The door opened and closed again, and Batman's voice said, "The vote was unanimous."

"What vote," Robin asked softly, "The one barring me from any future League activities, and rescinding my security clearance?"

"What are you talking about, Robin," Batman asked, "Didn't you tell him what's going, Nightwing?"

"I was just getting there when you came in," Nightwing said with a smile.  He turned back to Robin and started to explain, "Part of the rebuilding of the planet naturally has to include provisions for future defense plans.  The world came together to fight Brainiac, but it is already separating along ideological lines again.  Any future plans will rely on strong leadership to bring the various factions together.  Inevitably, it will fall to the Justice League to provide that leadership.  Since we don't know when the next earth-shaking crisis will present, it is more important than ever to make sure the next generation is ready to hit the ground running.  That's where you come in."

Robin looked nonplussed, "No.  First a babysitter, now you want me to be a nursery school teacher?"

Batman spoke up, "You already started, Robin.  Taking the initiative to teach the kids the basics of evasion showed the League that there is more that should be done in prepping the kids for the future."

"What does this have to do with me," Robin asked curiously.

Batman was surprised at the tone in Robin's voice.  "You are already familiar with the kids.  They trust you.  For some reason, they even like you."

"That's a nice way to put that," Robin muttered sarcastically.

"And each and every one reported that they learned from you," Batman continued.  "So, the League has decided that the kid's education will continue.  A lesson plan will be created, and the League would like you to continue as their instructor."

Robin was silently staring at his elders for close to a minute before saying, "Wait...what?  Why me?"

"That's what you said when we left you in charge of the kids," Nightwing pointed out. "You can do this, Robin."

Robin was trying to work out particulars in his mind, "So, I train them, according to what the Super Parents want them to learn?"

Nightwing giggled at the description, but nodded, "That's the general idea."

"To what end?"  Robin looked up, and Batman could have sworn that there was a guardedly hopeful expression on his face, "Am...am I being given a team?"

Nightwing looked up at Batman, and both seemed hesitant to answer.  "Not at this time," Batman finally said.  "It was discussed, but decided that we would see how the training went first."

"What would we even be called," Robin asked softly, knowing that a team was a possibility in the future.

Nightwing smiled, "Superman was leaning towards 'The Elementary League'."

Robin shook his head, "Not a chance."

"'Junior Justice' sounds good to me," Batman said, only barely hiding a smirk.

"That's only marginally better than Superman's suggestion."

Nightwing said, "The Reds have suggested 'Tiny Titans'."

Robin sighed heavily, "Remind me to smother them in their sleep."

Batman liked that his son seemed to have recovered from the meeting.  "You don't have to decide if the training program is something you want to do tonight, Robin.  If you agree to this, you will be making a years-long commitment.  Don't decide lightly."

Robin took a deep breath at the gravity in Batman's voice.  "What was the vote for, Father?"

"Whether everyone felt you were appropriate for this position.  They think you are."

Robin looked up cautiously, "What do you think, Father?"

"It was a unanimous vote, son," Batman said softly.  "You also passed the frustration test.  We know how frustrating it can be to deal with super-powered kids.  Every question Green Arrow asked you was designed to make you angry, to see if you would snap."

"You also won me twenty bucks," Nightwing said with a smile, "Flash bet me you wouldn't last fifteen minutes.  You went for over an hour."

Batman shook his head, "Nightwing, we have to get back to the meeting.  Robin, wait for us in the Rec Room."

"I'd rather wait here, Father.  This headache is killing me."

Nightwing looked concerned, but Batman said, "Our meeting won't take too much longer.  Can you just go?"

Robin sighed as he walked out of their room and down the hall.  "Fine, but I'm not moving from my bed at all tomorrow."

"I think Agent A will insist on that," Nightwing said as the three separated.

Robin walked slowly to the Rec Room, thinking to himself.  _Why do they want me to wait here?  I would have been more comfortable in our quarters, or if they had just let me go home._

Soft music was emanating from the open door of the Rec Room as he approached.  _Is that why they sent me here?  Someone left the TV on, and they want me to turn it off?  They could have just told me.  Oh, wait.  I know that music.  That's just great._

Robin stood in the doorway as 'A Whole New World' from Aladdin played on the TV.  In front of the set, the backs of three familiar heads could be seen above the back of the couch.  _Right, of course they wanted me to spend time with the kids during their meeting._

The song ended, and so far, Robin had gone unnoticed, or so he thought.

"You can sit down, you know," Mercury said, not turning around.

Robin didn't reply, he just sighed deeply, not knowing why his feet were propelling him towards the couch, and more so not knowing why he wasn't stopping himself.  Robin took a seat against the left armrest of the sofa, next to Superboy.  Nothing was said.  No one even looked in his direction.  Mentally shrugging, Robin turned his attention to the screen.

Several minutes passed before a bowl of popcorn ended up in Robin's hands.  The Boy Wonder was amazed that no one had said a word beyond Mercury's invitation to sit down.  Robin liked it this way, but he knew it wasn't the natural course of events for these kids.

"I'm impressed," Robin said, "You managed to make popcorn without burning down the whole mountain."

"Dad made it," Superboy said with a smirk.

"Baby steps, I guess," Robin replied, "At least he let you stay alone for a few minutes."

Impulse smiled and said, "Superman figured these two wouldn't get in trouble, if they were in here.  They're not going to try anything with the whole Justice League just down the hall."

Several minutes later, the popcorn bowl was empty and the movie had ended.  Superboy looked around and said, "Did you want to start another one?"

"Their meeting should be over soon," Robin said, "And, we're out of popcorn."

Mercury shrugged, "Well, we know that they trust you to use the...what happened to your face?"

Robin knew his black eyes could be seen around his eye mask, and his nose was still swollen and taped where it had been broken.  Robin just sighed, "Sometimes, you have to take a beating, in order to keep something worse from happening."

"I hope that isn't going to be lesson number one," Mercury said nervously.

"Lesson number one," Robin asked.

"Yeah," Superboy said excitedly, "you know, Superhero School!"

Robin shook his head, "Please tell me the Super Parents didn't sell it to all of you that way."

Impulse smiled, "They didn't call it that, but that's basically what it is, isn't it?"

Robin thought for a second before shrugging with a non-committal noise.  Superboy looked at Robin strangely, "What was that for?  Aren't you excited for this, too?"

Mercury snorted a laugh, "Robin, excited?  I'd pay my entire allowance for a month to see that."

"You're going to teach us, though, aren't you, Robin," Superboy asked.

"I'm still thinking about it."

Superboy was on the verge of pleading with the Boy Wonder.  "You _have_ to, though.  We're all onboard for it.  Even Beast Boy wants to join in.  We...we want you to teach us."

"Are you sure about that?  Remember what happened last time."

Superboy opened his mouth to try again, then shut it when words failed to materialize.  Mercury took over speaking, "That won't happen again, though.  Not with the whole Justice League down the hall.  Besides, you promised us it wouldn't."

Robin shook his head, "Who said any of this would happen at all?  How long ago did you find out about this idea?"

"This morning," Superboy said.  Impulse and Mercury both nodded at the time given.

Robin sighed and said to himself, "Right, last to know again."  To the kids, he said, "Don't get your hopes up.  I'm not making my decision tonight."

Impulse looked concerned, "If you say no, what will that mean for us?"

Robin shrugged, "They'll probably find someone else to do it.  They seemed ready to go with this idea, with or without me."

Superboy looked around the room, confusion flowing from every pore.  "...But, it wouldn't be the same if you aren't the one doing it.  We want you to continue to teach us.  Will you teach us, Robin?  Please?"

 

**A/N:  Well, what do you think?  Will he or won't he?  I am actually leaving this one up to you, readers.  Consider this a 'Choose Your Own Adventure', fanfic style.  I could go either way, really, but I'm not going to take my timeline in that direction, if no one wants to read it.  I have story ideas that go both ways (not like that), so I really want to know your thoughts.  Should I continue with the kids, or continue without them?**

**Just some housekeeping items.  This story was written immediately after I finished writing Invasion, which I started about five or six months ago.  That means, the new Rebirth run of Teen Titans hadn't been released yet, when I started writing this.  As I have said several times, my stories don't follow canon, so if I do start a team, it won't be the Teen Titans.**

**Next up is Future Tense, which does have mentions of Robin having a team, but it is done in a way that will not impact or be impacted by wherever the prevailing sentiment pushes my future writing plans.  Don't let the fact that I've already written a story mentioning a team influence your decision on whether you would like to see more of a team dynamic or not.**

**Like I said, let me know what you think.**

**Thanks for playing along.**


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